Monday, October 27, 2014
Volume LVIII, Issue 10
sbstatesman.com
HEATHER KHALIFA / THE STATESMAN
Rep. Steve Israel (far left), former President Bill Clinton (center) and Rep. Tim Bishop (far right) attend a rally at the Staller Center on Wednesday, Oct. 22.
Clinton speaks at SBU in support of Bishop By Kelly Zegers
Assistant News Editor
Just 13 days before the midterm elections, President Bill Clinton encouraged Stony Brook University students to vote and spoke on behalf of the Tim Bishop congressional re-election campaign at a rally organized by the Stony Brook College Democrats at the Staller Center on Wednesday, Oct. 22. About 1,000 attendees filled the seats, including students and Bishop supporters holding signs that read “#1more 1 Million Votes for 2014,” as part of the Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee message to increase voter engagement for the midterms. Local politicians that spoke on behalf of Bishop included Suffolk County comptroller candidate James Gaughran, who is a Stony Brook alumnus; Fifth District legislator and Stony Brook alumna Kara Hahn; presiding officer DuWayne Gregory, Suffolk County Executive Steve Bellone and congressman Steve Israel. Each guest praised Bishop for prioritizing a number of social and economic issues, such as student debt, raising the minimum wage, women’s health care rights, equal pay, the economy and the environment, and introduced multiple times as what is “at stake” in the upcoming elections. “We have a great divide in our county today, a great divide between those who are fighting for middle class and
working class families and those who are fighting for the most privileged among us,” Bellone said, reflecting the sentiment of the posters surrounding the podium on stage that read, “Restore the middle class.” The crowd gave a standing ovation once Bishop, Israel and Clinton took the stage. Israel spoke of contrasting ideas between the Democrats and Republicans of the House of Representatives. House Democrats, he said, believe that American businesses should get tax incentives to build infrastructure and create jobs, that college students should be able to refinance their debt and that women should not be paid less for equal work. Student debt was a common theme at the rally, as Bishop said the future of student financial aid programs are “on the ballot this November,” along with the questions of whether Pell Grants and Perkins Loans would “drop considerably” or if interest rates would “skyrocket.” Bishop said he was “proud” to represent Stony Brook University, which he described as the largest employer in the first congressional district with 18,000 employees. Bishop considers the university in the mantra he adopted for himself when he looks at public policy. “The mantra is, ‘If it’s good for Stony Brook University, it’s good for Long Island and if it’s bad for Stony Brook University, it’s bad for Long Island,’” he said. Clinton spoke of the Technology and Research Accelerating National
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SBU scholar improves 3D view of cells Check out the full Under the Microscope story at sbstatesman.com.
Security and Future Economic Resiliency Act that Bishop and Sen. Kirsten Gillibrand announced in June, “which would help to get more venture capital in to take the results of fruits of research at universities and turn it into commercially viable projects.” In regards to the economy, Clinton said when he became president, he wanted to reverse the trickle-down economics that began during the Reagan administration that made the country “more unequal.” The reversal, he said, helped people work their way from poverty into the middle class. “America is coming back,” Clinton said, adding that the jobs lost in the financial crisis were replaced. “This whole election is about the terms on which we will grow and whether we are going to grow together or grow apart,” he said, later adding, “the biggest threat to our collective future today is the political dysfunction in Washington, fueled by big money, special interests and ideological extremism.” Clinton, as the other speakers did, encouraged the crowd to vote, citing New York’s “lousy” voting record in midterm elections. Students at the event said that although they went to see the former president, they also thought it was important for college students be involved in politics. “I think the event went really well,” Fatoumata Kaba, a junior
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College Republicans raise question of fairness in response to Bishop rally By Zach Rowe Staff Writer
The Stony Brook College Democrats hosted a rally on Wednesday in the Staller Center for the campaign of incumbent House Representative Tim Bishop, highlighted by an appearance from President Bill Clinton. However, the night managed to generate a significant controversy as well, centered around a digital flyer circulated through the university’s email system. A group of Stony Brook students are in the process of filing complaints to the Federal Elections Commission and the IRS, according to a press release from the Stony Brook College Republicans. On Monday, Oct. 20, Stony Brook Student Life sent out an email through the university’s Listserv, an application used to send an email to many recipients on a certain list, announcing the rally for Bishop and the appearance by Clinton. The College Republicans allege that this is a violation of both university policy and federal election law, claiming that the use of the university’s Listserv indicated favoritism towards the Democratic party and was an illegal contribution to the Bishop campaign. The university policy in question states, “Use of IT Systems in a way that suggests University endorsement of any political candidate or ballot initiative is also prohibited.” The College Republicans claim that the use of the email system to circulate the flyer for the rally was a display of endorsement of Bishop’s campaign. Opinions
Members of the College Republicans also claim that another violation centers around Stony Brook’s status as a 501(c)3 tax-exempt organization. According to federal election law, a 501(c)3 organization may only conduct voter education, registration, or other election related events if the event is non-partisan. The event itself was held by the Stony Brook College Democrats and funded by the New York Democratic State Committee. However, the College Republicans believe the use of the Listserv constituted Stony Brook University engaging in an election event. “University resources are being used to directly promote a candidate,” Laura Doukas, president of the College Republicans, said in a press release. “It is totally uncalled for and breaks the rules of a 501(c)3 and the university policy manual. Stony Brook students and taxpayers should not be footing the bill for this incredibly divisive event.” Members of the College Democrats responded to the accusations. “For us, it seemed like the university was helping us as in any way that they would help any other organization,” Winnie Ye, the media director of the College Democrats, said. “We are student-funded, we are funded through USG, we are a student organization,” Kevin Gomez, the president of the College Democrats, said. “In our opinion, we are afforded the same Continued on page 3 Sports
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